Resource Material

[NorthernWolfman]

hi guys, i love building models but don't get alot of bench time and when i do i like to be ready for what little time i do have. I'm no car expert or mechanic and would like to add more detail to my builds like more engine wiring and adding more hoses to add to the realism but the thing is where does everything go or hook up to? Where do you guys get your picture resources? I do use google and other magazines online but can never get the detail pics i need

[Edward Gore]

magazines and on-line for me. uh... that is scale model resource pictures of 1/1 stuff...

[RJWood]

Probably the best resource material is sitting right in front of you, its your computer.

[Art Anderson]

hi guys, i love building models but don't get alot of bench time and when i do i like to be ready for what little time i do have. I'm no car expert or mechanic and would like to add more detail to my builds like more engine wiring and adding more hoses to add to the realism but the thing is where does everything go or hook up to? Where do you guys get your picture resources? I do use google and other magazines online but can never get the detail pics i need

As said above, the quickest resource you have is the computer and Google! Try Google images (type in your search terms into Google Advanced Search, then click on the "images" icon at the top of the first page--any image in any web page Google turned up for you will be there, along with the image size). The next source, of course, would be car magazines, and Lord knows, there are a ton of titles, covering just about any era, any kind, any genre' of cars you can think of--the best sources for most of us is either Barnes & Noble or Border's Books and Music.

The third source is books on the type(s) of cars you might want to build. These can range from "coffee table" books (sometimes the great photo of the car you dream of building shows up in something like that), to books about a particular kind of car (Sports Cars, Race Cars, customs, rods--all that), and then there are single marque books--those that cover say, the entire range of Mustangs, or perhaps one generation of such a car. In this, keep your eye out for books that go into great detail, such as books for restorers or those looking to hop up one. Another great kind of book to have, is the lowly shop manual from the factory--with the car show and swap meet season just beginning in most of the country, there are vendors of just those. In some cases, primarily with the most popular of GM makes, reprints of factory assembly manuals are out there--just think of them as instruction books for assembly line workers building the full scale models! Assembly manuals have easy to follow drawings of stuff most modelers never dream of adding to their builds!

The fourth, and perhaps the most productive source is a decent quality digital camera--with one of the more modern ones, you can get memory cards that will hold literally thousands of pictures, and the best part is, the pics themselves are free--the only cost incurred is if you decide to print any of them off on your own puter!

But the last things are the two P's, just as they are with building: Patience and Perseverance. It's patience that makes you hold off starting a project with only half-vast ideas here, and perseverance is the character trait that makes you keep on keeping on, until you find whatever reference you need in order to create that last, "gotcha" detail on your model.

Hope this helps!

Art

[NorthernWolfman]

As said above, the quickest resource you have is the computer and Google! Try Google images (type in your search terms into Google Advanced Search, then click on the "images" icon at the top of the first page--any image in any web page Google turned up for you will be there, along with the image size). The next source, of course, would be car magazines, and Lord knows, there are a ton of titles, covering just about any era, any kind, any genre' of cars you can think of--the best sources for most of us is either Barnes & Noble or Border's Books and Music.

The third source is books on the type(s) of cars you might want to build. These can range from "coffee table" books (sometimes the great photo of the car you dream of building shows up in something like that), to books about a particular kind of car (Sports Cars, Race Cars, customs, rods--all that), and then there are single marque books--those that cover say, the entire range of Mustangs, or perhaps one generation of such a car. In this, keep your eye out for books that go into great detail, such as books for restorers or those looking to hop up one. Another great kind of book to have, is the lowly shop manual from the factory--with the car show and swap meet season just beginning in most of the country, there are vendors of just those. In some cases, primarily with the most popular of GM makes, reprints of factory assembly manuals are out there--just think of them as instruction books for assembly line workers building the full scale models! Assembly manuals have easy to follow drawings of stuff most modelers never dream of adding to their builds!

The fourth, and perhaps the most productive source is a decent quality digital camera--with one of the more modern ones, you can get memory cards that will hold literally thousands of pictures, and the best part is, the pics themselves are free--the only cost incurred is if you decide to print any of them off on your own puter!

But the last things are the two P's, just as they are with building: Patience and Perseverance. It's patience that makes you hold off starting a project with only half-vast ideas here, and perseverance is the character trait that makes you keep on keeping on, until you find whatever reference you need in order to create that last, "gotcha" detail on your model.

Hope this helps!

Art

now this is what i call an awesome site, thanks for the replies guys

[Railfreak78]

My basic sequence is this: Google,Ebay motors,magazines,Auto Trader online, and also Dupont Registry online ( a rich guy version of auto trader) I used it when I worked on a Lambo and each car had about 10 detailed pictures from all angles,

[beefheart22]

hi guys, i love building models but don't get alot of bench time and when i do i like to be ready for what little time i do have. I'm no car expert or mechanic and would like to add more detail to my builds like more engine wiring and adding more hoses to add to the realism but the thing is where does everything go or hook up to? Where do you guys get your picture resources? I do use google and other magazines online but can never get the detail pics i need

The images search portion of google is a good tool. Sometimes you have to try several different search phrases to get what you're looking for. If it can't be found on google images, the image search on bing.com (MSN) may yield what you desire.

Good Luck

[charlie8575]

Find good, diverse car shows in your area and go to them. Many times, they go to support worthy local causes and you can see things first-hand.

I use the Internet as well, especially if a car is unusual or rare, and even then, it's a ######-shot. For example, I'm attempting to restore a 1961 Pontiac Tempest glue-bomb, and almost no pictures of that car exist, and the real ones are a bit rare, too.

Art is correct in stating you should try to find make-club specific meets and show-and-shines in your area (e.g., Buick Club of America's chapter in your region,) and go to those. Many times, the chapters will help you connect with someone that owns a car you're interested in and help you set up to take pictures.

The information you seek is always out there, it's how hard and deep your dig.

Charlie Larkin

[Junkman]

We have a resource thread in this very forum. Have you checked there?